The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-07-22
APAIR OF FUNNY TOADs.
disappearing in Each Others CASTOR Skins.
Pennsylvania Story.

Harrisburg Letter.
mo one knows the funny things toads will
do," said the Hon. James A Sweeney, a Luzerne
county naturalist and ex- member of the Penn
sylvania Legislature son recent cloudy day,
after hard rain, there was a cool breeze
blowing. 1 WAS walking in friends garden
near Hazleton when heard peculiar sound.
Looking in the direction from which it
came, / two toads open
space in the garden. One was quite
large. and the other was at least a third smaller.
They were both standing their hind feet, fac
ing each other. The large toad had its fore feet
each side of the smaller toad's shoulders:
the small toad his left fore foot on the large
ones right leg. AS they stood in that way they
uttered strange cultural sounds, as if they were
discussing some subject between themselves
Suddenly the small toad thrust its right foot,
hand, you might call it, against the large ones
stomach. and the next instant the latter threw
the former to the ground and lively wrestle
between them began
During the struggle on the ground the skins
of both toads burst open on the back. and sup
pose was about to the interesting process
of toads taking off their old coats, rolling them
up in little balls, and swallowing them, as nat
uralsts say they do. / did witness the process
of shedding the skins. but something much
more singular than the swallowing incident then
occurred The day raw, and windy, I
said, and after the toads had rubbed their skins
in comical way toward their heads until they
had both pulled themselves clear of them each
one began to shlver very percepnbly with the
cold. Suddenly the small toad hoped quickly to
where the skin of the big one lay and pickineit
up in his mouth hoped away several feet. The
big toad followed the purloiner of his cast-off
clothing with his eyes, anG gave two three
appealing croaks, but made effort to recap
ture the stolen goods. When the small toad
saw that he was not followed, he deliberately
set to work to don the skin he had taken. 1t
took him some time to do it. but he finally ac-
complished his purpose and went masquerad-
ing around in the msfit garment exactly like a
clown in circus wearing the big baggy costume
some of them appear in.
''The little fellow seemed to enjoy the novelty
of the situation and hoped around the large
toad in what must have been most tantaizng
manner The big toad was shivering like per-
chilled through, and by and by picked up the
skin of the small and began to force it on
his body. The process a difficult one, but
after several minutes of unceasng effort he
stood hablitated in the cast off garments of his
dminutiue companion. If the effect of the big
skin on the little toad had been COM
cal. that of the little skin on the
big toad more The sleeves
of the coat, to speak, only came half way
down the arm, and the legs of the trousers COW
cred the toad's legs though they had been
knickerbockers. The body of the garment was
so tight that the toad could not work either his
legs or his arms, and he stood there the picture
of comical dspair. By and by he began to
swell himself up, and that apparently stretched
the skin, for he WAS able afterward to move
away slowly. He followed the small toad into
the bushes in dignihed manner and both dis
appeared. What the outcome of this curious
exchange OF clothing was | never knew, but the
incident satisfied me that toads do funny things
sometimes"